Ted Alexander

Theodore Roosevelt Alexander
(Red)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut 1938
• Final Game 1948
• Born September 15, 1912 in Spartanburg, SC USA
• Died March 6, 1999 in East Orange, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ted Alexander pitched in the Negro Leagues.

Alexander debuted in 1938 with the Indianapolis ABCs, going 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA. He was with the Cleveland Bears in 1939. In 1940, he was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA for Cleveland. He had a save and a 8.64 ERA for the Chicago American Giants in 1941.

He was 1-0 with a 3.54 ERA for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1943 and was 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two games for them in 1944. He then served in the US Army. While at Camp Breckenridge, he encountered Jackie Robinson, who threw a ball back over to Alexander. The two began talking and Alexander told Robinson the Monarchs could use someone like him. Robinson's memoir makes it sound like he may never have gone into pro baseball without this encounter with Alexander.

Back in a baseball uniform in 1946, he was 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA for Kansas City. He started and lost Game 4 of the 1946 Negro World Series to the Newark Eagles and Rufus Lewis. He was 1-2 with a 3.29 ERA for Kansas City in 1947. He moved to the Homestead Grays in 1948 and went 2-1 with a save and a 2.61 ERA. He split two decisions in the 1948 Negro World Series. Seamheads.com puts his career ERA+ at 104.

Alexander played in the Intercounty Baseball League and Manitoba-Dakota League in Canada to end his career in 1950-1951. He was a technician for Electric Boat for over 25 years.

Sources: The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley, The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway, Seamheads, SABR

Notable Achievements

• NAL Winning Percentage Leader (1944)
• Won one Negro World Series with the Homestead Grays in 1948

Related Sites

• Ted Alexander at the SABR Bio Project